1 Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a storage device for duplicators, facsimile equipment, printers, etc. in which a display is used as a user interface to select functions and to set conditions for carrying out the functions and more particularly to a device and method for controlling a selection in a display picture to control a duplicator in accordance with optional devices equipped for additional functions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Storage devices for duplicators include computers to make full use of high level control and data processing techniques. A wide variety of functions are available, requiring many different operations for selecting functions and then for setting conditions for carrying out the functions selected. Operators must learn many complex operations; consequently, they may fail to follow the correct procedure and may misoperate the controls more often when they use the apparatus. In order to provide the operators with less complex operating procedures, a console panel has been employed. A console panel is provided with operating means, such as various key switches, ten-key switches, and the like, for selecting the operations. The console panel is also provided with display lamps and displays for indicating selections made through key operation, setting conditions, and operation guides.
Most conventional user interfaces have been of a console panel type in which keys, LEDs, liquid crystal displays, etc., are provided, including, for example, those of a backlit type having message displays. backlit console panel has a display board with fixed messages disposed at predetermined positions, which are selectively backlit by means of a lamp or the like so that the backlit message can be read. In a console panel having a message display, the panel is formed of liquid crystal display elements to display various messages at any time without having to provide a large display area. The type of console panels to be employed depend on factors such as complexity of the system and operability of the duplicator. FIG. 45 illustrates one such console panel employed in a duplicator proposed by Applicants in Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 62-278653 and 62-278655. The top of console panel 701 has a menu display board 702 in which respective functions of the panel units (703 to 708) are displayed by means of characters.
A switch 709 and two display lamps 710 are disposed on a panel 703 so that the sorting mode (stack mode and paper collation mode) can be selected when the sorter is connected. On a function selecting panel 704 are provided a switch 711 for editing or correcting/affirming a picture image, a switch 712 for storing to a job memory, a switch 713 for consecutive-page duplication, an edge erasure function, binding margin function and various other modes of duplication, a switch 714 for specifying double sided copy, and display lamps 710 for indicating ON or OFF states of selections made by these switches. On top of a monochromatic color highlight panel 705 are four display lamps 715 indicative of types (colors) of color developer, and on the remainder of panel 705 are located four switches 716 to 719 and display lamps 710 for indicating which of these switches are set. These switches include a marking color switch 716, partial color conversion switch 717, consecutive duplication color synthesis switch 718, and a monochromatic color switch 719.
On a copy density panel 706 are positioned a display lamp 710 indicative of which of five levels of copy density has been selected and a shift key 720, 721 for selecting one of these levels of copy density. Pressing upper shift key 720 causes lower copy density and pressing lower shift key 721 causes lower copy density and pressing lower shift key 721 causes higher copy density. Thus, the panel is adapted to select 16 different levels of copy density. Below copy density panel 706 is an automatic density adjusting switch 723 which, when operated, illuminates automatic density-indicating lamp 722 and sets an automatic density adjusting mode.
A magnification and paper selecting panel 707 unit has on the left thereof a unit for setting and indicating magnification and on the right thereof a unit for selecting paper. On the unit for setting and indicating the magnification are disposed shift keys 724 and 725 for setting arbitrary magnifications and a magnification indicator 723 beside which is a magnification key 726 for selecting predetermined fixed magnifications, a magnification display board 727 for the key 726, and a display lamp 710. The unit for selecting copy paper is provided with eight types of display boards 728 indicative of sizes of paper of kinds of paper and shift keys 729, 730 for selecting one of these sizes or kinds. Also, a display lamp 710 is disposed on the left of the eight types of display boards 728 for indicating which type of paper or which size of paper has been selected. Further, below the magnification and paper selecting panel 707 is positioned an automatic paper/magnification selecting switch 731 for selecting a combination of the present magnifications and sizes of the paper.
On a display panel 708 located to the right of magnification and paper selection panel 707 are symbols 732 and a liquid crystal display unit 733 of this duplicator. Symbols 732 illuminate to indicate state of selection of a paper-feeding tray and location of paper jamming while liquid display unit 733 displays various for indicating selection of functions and conditions of carrying out the functions selected.
Also, below display panel 708 are various keys or buttons. These include an all-clear button 734 for resetting the duplicator to a basic condition, i.e., priority mode, a ten-key pad 735 for inputting numerical values specifying diagnostic procedures when performing diagnosis of the duplicator, an interrupt button 736 for interrupting the copying cooperation currently being carried out successively to allow an urgent copy, a stop clear button 737 that is used as a clear button when setting the number of sheets to be copied, or setting a bin of the sorter or aborting copy operation, a start button 738 for starting a copying operation, a selection key 739 for moving the cursor to select messages displayed on a liquid crystal display unit 733, and a setting key 740 for setting the function specified by the cursor.
The console panel thus far described has two separate areas, i.e., one for basic operations such as paper selection and setting of copy density, the other for more advanced feature operation such as function selection and monochromatic color enhancement. In addition, backing up the more important operations by displaying the sentences with both Chinese characters and "kana" (Japanese phonetic symbols) reduces the chance of misoperation in the panel operation. Duplicators can be configured in a large number of possible combinations, for example, a type in which the basic machine is provided with a variety of functions, or a type in which a sorter and an automatic document delivery device are provided as optional devices and also including a paper tray and an IC card device. Accordingly, functions available depend on the respective combinations, which differ in the number of switches disposed on the console panel for selecting functions and in methods of signal processing within the apparatus. The number of display lamps and displays will differ correspondingly. Therefore, console panels are designed to have different layout and sizes of the switches and the displays in accordance with size of the duplicators.
Storage devices for duplicators, etc., are vitally important for office work. In an environment where office space is growing more costly, they are strongly expected to be compact in size and to occupy less area so that office space is effectively utilized. Also, with increasing utilization of duplicators, there is an increasing tendency to satisfy a variety of user requirements for higher performance and multiple functions. However, the console panel places limitations on implementation of compact duplicator size. That is, in the console panel, the growing number of functions will increase the contents of displays and operations, requiring a larger space for a larger number of keys as well as an increased number of displays and larger sizes thereof. Thus, restricting the panel space causes increased layout density of display means and operation means, causing not only difficulty in reading displays but also complexity of operation.
Thus, Applicants have proposed a storage apparatus in which the user interface utilizes a display for a compact overall size and improved operability. Since a storage apparatus having multiple functions has a larger number of selection trees, implementing the display in a compact size will necessarily divide up the display picture for forming selection mode pictures to select functions if the functions are to be selected with high degree of freedom. In such an arrangement of a display, some selection may become valid or invalid depending on the optional devices incorporated. For example, a duplicator can have a sorter and a finisher as optional output devices in three possible combinations, i.e., a sorter is incorporated, a finisher is incorporated, or neither is incorporated. Likewise, input devices include DADF (duplex auto document feeder) and RDH (recycle document handler) as optional devices and paper trays include an MSI (multi sheet inserter) and an HCF (high capacity feeder). In addition, the paper tray may sometimes be provided with both MSI and HCF. Some functions will be available and some other functions will be unavailable, depending on whether or not these optional devices are incorporated, and the content of functions available will also be different. Duplicators having multiple functions may have more than ten categories corresponding to these optional devices, the combinations of which can range from several thousand to tens of thousands. Therefore providing selection mode picture for all the possible combinations would require an extremely large memory capacity for display pictures. Displaying all the functions as a selection including the optional devices not incorporated would make it inconvenient for the operators to distinguish the functions as well as causing problems in handling the case when functions as well as causing problems in handling the case when functions not available are selected by chance. Additionally, some optional devices are selectively incorporated as in the aforementioned input devices and some can be incorporated together, as in the paper tray, and displaying all the functions including these in a single picture is impractical.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks. An object of the invention is to provide a method of controlling selections of a user interface that can display a selection mode picture that reflects actually incorporated optional devices and that will not allow keying of unavailable selections.